Green Mountain Blog

Mobile Apps for Energy Conscious Consumers

You’re probably well aware of how much we love the Nest Learning Thermostat (Want to refresh your memory? Read the top 12 reasons), but there are other innovative technologies available that also help you reduce your impact on the environment.

Below is a list of some intriguing mobile apps that piqued our interest. By no means is this an exhaustive list, so if you’ve heard of other neat technologies, share them in the comments section at the bottom of this post.

Yerdle: Co-founded by Adam Werbach, the former Sierra Club president, Yerdle is a free marketplace for giving and receiving items. The company tagline is “Why shop when you can share?” and Yerdle aims to reduce the durable consumer goods we purchase by 25 percent. Given that 80 percent of household items are used less than once a month, per Yerdle, consumers are making a lot of unnecessary purchases. Think of Yerdle as the Craigslist “free” section with more of a community feel and a sustainable mission.

Driblet: This device in development will allow consumers and businesses to monitor their water usage like never before. The Driblet device can be installed on faucets and shower heads, and a built-in meter connects the device to a mobile app. It’s self-powered by the running water, so no batteries are required. Once data is generated by the meter, you can view the information in real-time to better understand your usage and then take steps to reduce consumption. Pre-order yours today.

HarvestMark: Ever wonder where your food originated? How about when it was grown and how it was grown? Now that information can be at your fingertips with the HarvestMark mobile app, which allows consumers to scan a 16-digit code or QR code on participating fruit, poultry and vegetable brands to trace its path. Use this app as a resource to make smarter purchase decisions, since food grown locally has a much lower carbon footprint than the average food item.